During our strategic planning consultations we were told that UJA ought to be a ‘unifying force among the various segments of the Jewish community.’ Two dimensions of galvanizing the community are expressed by UJA when it brings the community together in times of crisis and in times of celebration.

When we do so, we reach out to breadth of the Jewish community and have the capacity to reach vast numbers. We have the ability to mobilize- both in person and electronically. Important examples of these events include: the Walk with Israel, Yom HaAtzmaut celebrations (Israel’s birthday), Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror), Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), rallies in support of Israel, and walks to lead the fight against anti-semitism.

UJA recognizes the centrality of this role and the importance attached to it by community members. In fact, our survey for the strategic plan indicated that 73.5% of community members believe that this a key role that UJA needs to continue to play. We know that thousands of community members participate in these events annually, however it is impossible to confirm the precise numbers. Our goal is to continue to strengthen our ability to be nimble, efficient and effective at following up on the momentum that is created when we come together. We are also committed to ensuring that we develop our capacity to use online methods to reach out in order to track some forms of participation through technological solutions. We commit to continuing to track our success in engagement and mobilization in terms of quality of events, media coverage, level of awareness and follow up with participants. We look forward to reporting on these metrics in the coming years.